"Paramount has preemptively bought an untitled contemporary love story pitch by scripter Marc Klein as a starring vehicle for Tom Cruise and set it up with Par-based Cruise/ Wagner. Logline's being kept under wraps. Cruise hasn't yet set his next acting gig after "Mission: Impossible III"..." (full details)

"Lionsgate has acquired worldwide rights, excluding North America, to the heist thriller "Devil to Pay," starring Lucy Liu. The move marks Lionsgate's latest foray into action thrillers. Penned by Michael Gilvary, the story centers on a single mom who is forced by kidnappers holding her children to rob the bank at which she works..." (full details)

"Actor-comedian Dane Cook has sold a comedy pitch to the Weinstein Co. Details are being kept under wraps, though it is known to be a relationship comedy with heart and broad elements. Cook will now write the script with another writer, yet to be determined. At the same time he is in final negotiations to play opposite Steve Carell in "Dan in Real Life," a romantic comedy Peter Hedges is directing for Touchstone Pictures..." (full details)

"Night at the Museum" director Shawn Levy has confirmed that "The Office" star Ricky Gervais will cameo as an uptight museum director in his big-budget, live-action/CG comedy. "Museum" centers on a night watchman (Stiller) at a museum of natural history who discovers that its many exhibits awaken at night under the spell of a pharaoh's tablet..." (full details)